:: News from Offshore ::

:: PRODUCTION

:: Chevron has first oil from Frade off Brazil
Chevron Corp. subsidiary Chevron Brasil Upstream Frade Ltda. has begun crude oil production from the Frade field, the company's first operated deepwater development in Brazil. The estimated $3-billion project, with continuing development drilling, is expected to achieve peak production of 90,000 b/d of crude oil and natural gas liquids in 2011.

:: Forties seventh development well onstream
The Forties Charlie 6-3 well has come onstream at a rate of 10,500 b/d of oil, according to Apache Corp. It is the seventh development well brought into production at Forties this year -- its initial production rate is the field's highest since 1994.

:: Iran to diversify in Persian Gulf
Iran Offshore Oil Co. (IOOC) aims to boost production from the Hormozgan province of the Persian Gulf. The company’s MD, Mahmood Zirakchian zadeh, said there were strong prospects for further discoveries in the Persian Gulf, in addition to established fields such as South and North Pars, Golshan, and Ferdosi.

:: WELL RESULTS

:: Anadarko hits pay in GoM; outlines Africa drilling program
Anadarko has made a Miocene discovery at the Samurai prospect in Green Canyon block 432 in the Gulf of Mexico. The discovery well encountered more than 120 ft (37 m) of net oil pay in several high-quality sands, the company reports.

:: Titan lined up for Visund tieback
StatoilHydro has made a small oil discovery in the Tampen area of the Norwegian Sea, a short distance northeast of the Visund field production center. Two wells were drilled on the Titan structure by the Scarabeo V, the first encountering an oil column in Jurassic sands, while the second, 2.7 km (1.7 mi) to the southeast, found oil in the Brent group.

:: Red Emperor well proves oil, gas
The Red Emperor well has proven oil and gas, according to Pan Pacific Petroleum NL (PPP). The well, located on block 07/03 offshore Vietnam, encountered oil and gas shows while drilling -- the results of logging with the Modular Dynamic Tester (MDT) and other wireline tools have established approximately 90 m (295 ft) net pay comprising both oil and gas within multiple stacked reservoir layers, the company reports.

:: GEOLOGY & GEOPHYSICS

:: NPD to begin summer seismic acquisition
The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate’s (NPD) seismic acquisition activity is scheduled to start on June 29, with the vessel Geo Pacific acquiring 3D seismic data in Vesteralen (Nordland VII). In order to make these surveys possible, the NPD has entered into buy-out agreements with about 100 fishers in the relevant areas.

:: Fugro completes acoustic jumper metrology on Shell's Perdido
Fugro Chance has completed an acoustic jumper metrology on Shell’s Perdido development in the Gulf of Mexico. The work was done on behalf of Oceaneering International, Shell’s jumper installation contractor.

:: Infoterra completes offshore Seychelles oil slick mapping
Infoterra has completed an oil slick mapping and interpretation project of offshore Seychelles in collaboration with Seychelles Petroleum Co. (Seypec). The project, which was carried out in April and May, required the acquisition of over 150 radar satellite scenes across a 500,000 sq km (193,051 sq mi) area.

:: GLOBAL UPDATE

:: New pipeline to connect south Argentina fields with country's main gas network
A consortium of Royal Boskalis Westminster and Allseas Group has been contracted to construct a gas pipeline through the Strait of Magellan in Southern Argentina. The agreement is worth approximately $249 million, the companies say.

:: Petrovietnam, PVEP to develop Dai Hung prospect
Vietnam Oil and Gas Group (Petrovietnam) and Petrovietnam Exploration Production Corp. (PVEP) have signed a Petroleum Production Sharing Contract for block No 05.1(a) in the Nam Con Son basin offshore Vietnam. In 1974, Mobil Oil made a discovery with the Dai Hung prospect but did not carry out appraisal and development activities.

:: Iran plans Caspian export pipelines
Iran will shortly issue a tender for construction of a new oil export pipeline from the Caspian Sea to the Persian Gulf. Deputy Oil Minister Nureddin Shahnazizadeh, speaking in Moscow, said that the 970-mi (1,561-km) pipeline would transport 1 MMb/d from the Iranian port of Neka on the southern Caspian coast to Jask in the Gulf of Oman.

:: EXPLORATION

:: EnCore lines up UK drilling program
Encore Oil is working on plans for appraisal/exploration wells on four prospects on the UK shelf. The first will probably be an appraisal well on the Cladhan light oil discovery in block 210/29a in the northern North Sea, either late this year or during spring 2010.

:: Shell, Northern step up Italy campaign
Northern Petroleum sees Italy as offering its greatest potential for material growth, according to the company’s annual review. Early this year, Northern conducted a joint 2D seismic survey with Shell Italia over 2,463 km (1,530 mi) west of Sicily at the extension of the Apennine-Magrehbian thrust productive belt.

:: Petrobras, Vale to explore BM-ES-22 concession offshore Brazil
Petrobras has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Vale that establishes the framework for a partnership to explore and produce oil and natural gas in part of the BM-ES-22 concession off the northern coast of the state of Espirito Santo. The concession is formed by the ES-M-466, ES-M-468, ES-M-527, and ES-M-523 blocks acquired by Petrobras at the National Petroleum Agency’s (ANP) sixth bidding round.

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:: OFFSHORE SPONSORED EVENTS

Offshore Middle East Conference & Exhibition
October 12 – 14, 2010
Doha, Qatar

http://www.offshoremiddleeast.com/index.html

Click here for a full calendar of industry events.